Home is a contemporary story - contemporary for its early 70s publication time - but I wouldn't call it a romance. When I opened the book to find a first person POV I held back a groan. It's not a POV Steel utilizes often, but the last one of hers I read with it wasn't a favorite. If first person has an advantage here, though, it prevented the dreaded info-dump before the action.This is a story about a divorced mother, Gillian, who freelances as a set stylist. If there's a more technical term for what she does, it's not mentioned. Gillian lives in early 70s San Francisco on the fringe of late-era hippiedom, pre-Watergate. She falls into instalove with a film director, Chris, who's only looking for a good time. Chris is basically a self-absorbed asshole who does what he wants and waffles between romantic fool and "Look, a doormat with a vagina." Gillian fades in and out of TSTL territory with the guy, and when she becomes pregnant his solution is to have her move against her will to the other side of the country. He's so freaked out he can't even be on the same coast - how badly do you want to punch this guy in the back of the head?Without revealing the whole story, I'll share my likes/dislikes:LikesSteel's style wasn't all that bad. Later books of hers read like enhanced summaries - all tell no show. There's only a bit here, but for the most part the structure was good.Not too many ellipses. Steel is the ellipsis queen, I swear.DislikesChris, the jerkiest jerk who ever jerked offGillian's behavior around him - she comes off as less assertive when he's around. Smoking and drinking while pregnant. It's a wonder we 70s babies aren't all f'ed up. I don't think Gillian kept an OB/GYN appointment through the whole book. A sideplot with Gillian dating a playboy lawyer that didn't go anywhere. An anti-gay slur late in the book that put me offNeither a like or dislike, but an observation: with this first book you get a sense of the Steel formula readers will enjoy for the next four decades -Woman with job/romantic strugglesLife-changing event that precedes the need for a job/moveThe last guy the heroine meets is typically The One.Ellipses aplentyHaving satisfied this requirement for the reading challenge, I can probably retire from Steel's readership. Home is her first, not her worst, so if you're looking for a gateway this is one to try.
I kept going back and forth about whether to rate this a 2 or a 3. I finally settled on the 2. I am so glad that this wasn't the first book I read by Danielle Steel because I doubt I would have ever picked up another book by her. I would have lost out on a bunch of good books too. I am a huge fan of this author but I didn't like this book that much at all. The biggest reasons being I couldn't stand the main characters. I didn't like Gillian or Chris. Chris was a number 1 douche bag and Gillian was the girl in love with him. It was hard for me to believe that she, let alone anyone else, would deal with him. I found her character to be weak and really unbelievable. I didn't relate with the characters at all and found it hard to continue reading the book. I kept hoping the book would get better...but it didn't. I wanted reach through the pages and strangle Gillian or slap some sense into her. I found myself wanting to yell and pull my hair out at times. What I did like about the book...well I liked Gillian's daughter and the relationship between the two of them. She was a typical child that had her moments but was good kid overall. I also liked that Chris was never a douche when it came to her. I really liked her best friend Pam. I liked how straight forward she was. She wasn't afraid to "tell it like it is", because she cared enough about Gillian and her daughter Sam. Then there was Gordon...he was a sweet sensible older guy that entered her life at the wrong time...he was there for her when she needed him but she was too emotionally entangled with Chris to be able to really appreciate him. It was interesting to read Danielle Steel's first book after I have read some of her other books. I will definitely continue to read this author even though this was not my favorite book by her. In fact, aside form Friends Forever, I think this was my least favorite. She has written so many good books, I guess I shouldn't expect to like every single one of them. I would not recommend this book, however I will continue to recommend Danielle Steel to others.
What do You think about Going Home (2003)?
Funny enough, I had no interest in wanting to read this book. I simply found it in my mom's closet, grabbed it as a book to read commuting to work and bam! It was good! I didn't even realize I was reading a Danielle Steel book. Couldn't put it down for awhile honestly.There are parts towards the end which do drag on ... Like really drag on, but the way it was written made it interesting and intriguing enough for me to read through it. I enjoyed this one. Mind you, I did want to slap the main character a few times for her horrible decisons. Then again, where's the fun if you can't get mad at fictional characters.I'll no longer be just grabbing for a Danielle Steel book to pass time, I'll be looking for them.
—Chante
The first book by Steel I've ever read. The feelings are ambiguous. The book seemed to be total trash in the beginning. The main protagonist Gillian pissed me off, I must admit, mainly because of her strange attitude to love and relations between men and women. I was perplexed and puzzled at how she kept forgiving that badass Chris who was cheating on her continuously. There were other men around who could make her happy and she kept dragging behind that Chrissy-boy and ruining her life to pieces. Nevertheless, giving the subject second thought, I realized that it's unfair to judge her that way. So many women fall for bastards rejecting good guys and can't do a thing about it. That's in our nature..On the other hand, the book has many good points. I loved the description of New York, it totally coincides with my understanding of this fantastic city! Thumbs Up!The thing most precious in this book is the end, that is the last 20-30 pages. The ending is absolutely wonderful, vivid and sentimental. Made me cry once. The end is strong, maybe too strong for such a mediocre book.
—Ira Bespalova
I enjoyed this book..It's about a young woman who is newly divorced with a 4 year old daughter. She decides to move to San Francisco from New York for a fresh start. She meets a guy and starts to get involved with him then he treats her like a door mat. Instead of running as fast as she can away from him she thinks she can somehow change him by loving and forgiving him. ( I would have been gone right away). Just when you think the story is going to be predictable Danielle throws you a curve.I guess thats why she is a best selling author. Nicely Done!
—Tammy
